This from a 15 yr old young lady….. Her Dad helped with the stats, but the
feelings are hers
———

November 8, 2000

Mr. Ryan Van Benthuysen, Managing Editor

Dear Editor:
In this climate of anti-gun fervor, I firmly believe that the Second
Amendment Right to keep and bear arms must be protected. Decent, good
citizens who own guns for sport or protection are being blamed for gun
violence committed by criminals. We law-abiding citizens should not allow
abusers of this Right to destroy our Constitutional Rights. There are sixty
to sixty-five million gun owners in the United States. Sixty percent of gun
owners live in right-to-carry states. The states that have these laws permit
citizens to carry concealed firearms to protect themselves against
criminals. According to the Federal Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms
(ATF), states with right-to-carry laws have lower violent crime rates on
average compared to the states that do not. Eliminating the Second Amendment
would in fact increase crime rates in America. The fallacy of gun control
legislation is that they affect only the people who obey the laws. The
result is that the government would disarm only law-abiding citizens. Why
should the many decent Americans who practice proper firearm safety and use
guns for sport and/or protection be deprived of this right because of the
acts committed by the few criminals in our country? The Second Amendment of
the U.S. Constitution is our right and therefore must be protected.

Sincerely,

Lauren
GHHS Student